Change-sign device



July 24, 1923. 1,463,108

R. A. w|| |so ET AL CHANGE SIGN DEVICE Filed July 6, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3x14. W/Lusow a. /1/. 65556 July 24, 1923. 5,43,1fl

R. A. WILLISON ET AL CHANGE SIGN DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1922 July 24, 1923.

R. A. WILLISON ET AL CHANGE SIGN DEVICE I5 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed July 6, 1922 w Q o 8 w m5 fie wvitmeoa 17/ w same Jul 24, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs.

BALPE A. WILLISON AND CLIFFORD N. ESBERG, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON.

.OEANGE-SIGN nnvrcz.

Application and m c, 1922. Serial we. wanna.-

To all whomit'my concern:

Be it known that we, RALPH A. WILLISON and Cnu'rom) N. Essa-no, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Ore on, have invented certain new and'use'fful mprovements in Cha Sign Devices; and we do declare the 0 lowing to he a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved sign of the general type disclosed in our prior patent issued Janua 25, 1921, No.1,366,548. In the form now disclosed, the operating mechanism has been greatly simplified and further the means for breaking the circuit to prevent damage in case one or more of the rotary sign carriers should stick hasbeen imp-gloved and simplified.

other object of the invention is to so construct the circuit breaking mechanism and means forcontrolling rotation of the main shaft of the sign that a gear carried by this main shaft may serve as means for controlling operation of the circuit breaking mechanism. Y

Another ob'ect of the invention is to rovide improve types of gears for control ing rotation of the main shaft from a driving shaft the main shaft being provided with a complete gear and a locking disk and the drive shaft being provided with a segmental gear and a locking disk, the locking disk of the drive shaft being adapted to move into pockets of the disk carried by the main shaft so that the main shaft may be 7 prevented from rotating when desired.

. Another object of the invention is to provide the rotary sign carriers with improved means for controlling their rotation, said means serving to retard rotation of the carriersjust prior to locking of the main shaft against further rotation and further serving to impart rotary movement to the carriers when the main shaft is to be rotated. This will cause easy starting and stopping of the rotation.

, i Another object of the invention is to pro-.

vide a structure of the character described which will be very simple in its construction and comprise a comparatively few number of arts not liable to readily get out of order or come broken.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing. the improved sign board in rear elevatio Figure 2, is a top plan view of the gear box having the gearing and other mechanism mounted therein for controlling operation I of the sign. I

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the gearbox taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2/

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the rotatable sign carriers.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in elevation showing the lower end portion of one of the sign carriers and the means for rotating the same.

Figure 7 is a detail view showing the roller device for enga 'ng the track mounted upon the lower entfis of the sign carriers.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of. Fig. 6.

This improved sign includes a sign board 1. which will have'a construction slmiiar to that shown in our prior Patent No. 1,366,548 and therefore has not beenshown in detail. At the rear of this sign board, there has been provided a frame including vertically disposed end bars 2, an up r bar 3 braced by a longitudinally extendiilg truss rod 4 and a lower-bar 5 which is supported 11 on supporting standards or brackets 6. his frame hasits upper and lower bars 3 and 5 provided with bearings of a conventional structure so that the rotatable si carriers 7 which are preferably triangu er in top plan or'cross section may have their center shafts 8 journaled in the upper and lower bars 3 and 5. The lower ends of these shafts 8 extend beneath the lower bar 5 and are provided with gears or pinions 9 which mesh with co-operating gears or pinions 10 carried. by the main shaft 11 which may also be termed a driven shaft. This shaft 11 is journaled. in the upper end portions .of the supports or brackets 6 and as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 1 extends beyond the frame and through a gear housing 12 which is mounted adjacent one end of the port 14 similar to the supports 6. This shift 13 carries a gear 15 so as to permit the drive shaft 13 to be rotated from a suitable source of energy. In the present illustration this consists of a worm gear 16 mounted upon a shaft 17 preferably forming an extension of the main shaft of an electric motor.

When the sign is in operation, rotary movement is to be transmitted from the shaft 13 to the shaft 11. The sl aft 13 is a continuously rotating shaft but the shaft '11 is only to be rotated at intervals and therefore the shaft 13 has been provided with a segmental gear 18, the teeth of which mesh with a gear plate or disk 19 carried by the shaft 11. This segmental gear plate or disk 18 is rigidly secured upon the shaft 13 but the ear or disk 19 is loose upon the shaft 11. he gear 18 is provided with a radially disposed bordering flange. 20 which extends from one end of the segmental gear to the other and the gear 19 is provided with radially disposed flange portions 21 which are spaced about the circumference of the gear 19. The pockets 22 which are provided between the flange portions 21 of the gear 19 are concaved so that when the shafts 13 and 11 have rotated a suilicient amount tomove the interval when it 15 not desired to have the shaft 11 rotate. In the preferred form,

the sign is to-be operated by an electrically driven motor havmg a suitable circuit 1n eluding wires 23 connected with the terminalcpins 24 of the brushes'25. These brushes 25 engage drum elements 26 and 27 which are ositioned about the shaft 11 and insulate from the shaft 11 by means ofbushings 28 and 29. It should be noted that the bushing 28 is extended to provide an annular flange or disk portion30 which extends between the gear 19; and flange or disk portion 31 of the drum 2'6 and that this 'disk portion 30 of the insulating bushing 28 is provided with a sleeve extension 32'which extends through an opening formed in the gear 19. This-sleeve 32 provides insulation for ap-in 33 which extends from the disk 31'through the gear 19 for contact with a contact point 34 carried by the arm 35 of a. collar 36 which fits upon and issccured to the shaft 11 between the gear 19 and drum 27. A second arm 37 extends. from this collar 36 and has its free end portion erforated to. slidably-receive a bolt 38 w ich in addition to passing through the arm 37 also passes through a lug- 39 carried by the air-19. A securing nut 40 is provided uponthisboltto engage the lug or block 39 and a spring 41 is placed upon the bolt between thus be seen that when the gear 19 is rotated by the-gear 18, the sprin will serve to impart rotary movement to t e collar 36 and keep the collar positioned with the arm 37 engaging the block 39 andthe' arm 35 in. the position shown in Fig. 3 with the contact point 34 in engagement with the contact in 33. If for any reason, rotation of the s aft 11- should be prevented, it is desired to shut off the motor so as to prevent any damage being-done. From. an inspection of Fig. 3, it will be readily seen that when rotation of the shaft 11 stops and r 19 is being rotated, this rotation of the gear, 19 will cause the contact pin 33 to move out of en agement with the contact pin or point 34. herefore, the passage of the current from the drum 27 through the Wire 42'to the contact point 34 and from this contact point 34 to the contact pin 33 will be interrupted and operation of the motor caused to be stopped. Under ordinary circumstances, the spring will be strong enough to retain the thearm 37 and the head of the bolt. It will arm 37 in engagement with the block 39 and p the pin 34 in engagement with the pin 33 and therefore the circuit will at all times be complete except when rotation of the shaft 11 is stopped for any reason and continued rotation of the gear 19 moves the contact 33 out of engagement with the contact 34.

During operation oft the sign, it is desired to have the starting and stopping of the rotary carriers 7 accomplished without jolts being caused by sudden stops and sudden starts. Therefore each of the triangular carriers 7 is provided at its lower end with a circular track strip 43 which is bent at points spaced about its circumference to provide portions 44 forming cam elements corresponding in .number to the pockets 22 and shaped as shown in Fig. 6 and also in Fig. 8. Brackets 45 are carried by the lower bar 5 of the frame in which the carriers'have been mounted and each of these brackets 45 carries a plunger 46' which is yieldably held against downward movement by a spring 47 and is provided at its upper end with a roller 48 for engaging the track 43 beneath which it is mounted.- V Fron an inspection of Fig. 8, it will be readily seen that during rotation of a carrier 7, rotary movement will be retarded as a roller moves along the portion of the cam 44 which will cause the plan or ice and means for retardin nuance 7 I sitely acting portions, and spring actuated means for engaging said cam elements and retarding movement of said sign element when movement thereof is about to cease and assisting movement of the sign element when movement thereof is again started.-

2, A sign including a frame, a carrier rotatably mounted in said frame and including a shaft, a driven shaft for imparting rotary movement to said carrier through the medium of the shaft thereof, means for cans ing intermittent rotation of said driven shaft carrier when rotation t ereofis about to when rotation thereof is again started.

3. A sign including a frame, a carrier rotatably mounted in said frame and including a shaft, a driven shaft for im artin rotary movement to said carrier 't re the medium of the shaft thereof, means or causing intermittent rotation of said driven shaft, and means for retarding rotation of said carrier when rotation thereof is about to cease and assistingrotationof the carrier when rotation thereof is again started, said means comprising'a trackforming ring secured beneath said carrier and at points about its circumference, having cam elements disposed circumferentially thereof and having oppositely acting portions and a sprin actuated element cnga ing said track an retarding rotation wh a moving over one portion of a cam element and assisting-rotation while moving over the otherportion' thereof.

4. A sign including a frame, a carrier to ,tatably mounted in said frame, and including a shaft, a driven shaft for im artingrm tary movement to said carrier t rough the medium of the shaft thereof, means for causing intermittent rotation of said driven shaft and means for retarding rotation of said carrier when rotation t ereof is about to cease. and assisting rotation of the carrier when rotation thereof is again started, said means comprising a track "forming ring se- 7 cured beneath said carrier and at points about its circumference, ofisetto provide. V-shaped cam portions, and plungers slidably mounted and yieldably held in engages 'ment with said track rin and/retarding roitation of the carrier whi e passing over one rotation. of saidv side ofa V-sh'ape'd portion andassisting ro I tation of the carrier while passing over the other side of the V-shaped portion.

5. In a si means for intermittently imparting movement to said sign element, said means ineluding adrivenshaft rotatably mounted, a drive shaft rotatably mounted, ear disks carried by said shafts, one of sai disks'being a complete gear and the other of said disks being a segmental gear and imparting rotary movement to the first gear disk while its teeth are in engagement with the teeth of the first gear disk, the second gear being provided with means for engaging the first gear and holding the same against rotation while the teeth of the secondgear are outof engagement with the'teeth' of the first gear.

6. In a si a movable sign element, and

means for intermittently imparting move ment to said sign. element, said means ineluding. a driven shaft 'rotatably mounted, a drive shaft rotatably mounted, gear disks carried by said shafts, one of said disks being a complete gear and the other of said a movable sign element and disks being a segmental gear and imparting rotary movement to the first gear disk while its .teeth are in engagement with the -teeth of the first gear disk, the first gear having a flange portion to one side of teeth cut away at points about the circumference of the gear to provide pockets, the. second gear having a circumferentially extending flan e terminating adjacent the ends of its teetfi and moving in the pockets 'of the first gear to hold the first gear stationary while the teeth of the second gear are out of engagement with the teeth of the first gear.

7-. claim 5, of a circuit for supplying current to a motor for rotating said drive shaft, and -mea'ns for completin and breaking the ci rcuit, said meansinclu ing a contact insulated from and movable with the gear disk of the. driven shaft, said gear .being loose upon the driven shaft, a contact carrier rigid upon-said driven shaft and having a contact engageable with the first'contact, and means for causing rotation of the driven shaft and contact carrier with the gear of the driven shaft and permitting inde- Eendent movement of the gear to move the rst mentioned contact out of engagement with the-contact of said carrier and break the circuit of the source of power when rotation of the driven shaft is prevented.

' 8. The combination-with the" structure of claim 5, ofa circuit for su plying current to a motor for rotating sai drive shaft, and means for completing and breaking the circuit, said means including a contact insulated from and movable with the gear disk of: the driven shaft,..said gear being loose upon the driven'- shaft,-a contact carrier rigid upon said drivenshaft and having a contact engageahle with the first contact, a pincarried "by the gear of said driven shaft and slidably engaged-with said carrier, and a spring carried by said pin and engagin said carrier to yieldably hold the contact thereof in engagement with the lie contact moving with the gear, said spring permitting said gear to have limited independent movement to move the first linentioned contact out of engagement with the contact of said carrier and break the circuit of thesource of power when rotation of the driven-shaft is prevented.

9. The combination with the structure of claim 5, of a circuit for supplying current to a motor for rotating said rive shaft, the gear disk of the driven shaft being loose a n the same, an insulated contact moving with said gear, means for causing rotation of the driven shaft with said gear and permitting limited rotation of the gear independent of said driven shaft, and a contact carried by said means and engageable with the first mentioned contact to close the circuit, movement of said gear independent of said driven shaft moving the contacts apart to open the circuit and prevent rotation of collar, a block carried by said neonate the drive shaft when rotation shaft is stopped. v

10. The structure of claim 5 having the gear ot the driven shaft loose upon the same, drums positioned about said shaft upon opposite sides of said rear and in sulated from the shaft, one drum havin its insulation provided with a sleeve exten ing/ throu' h aniopening in said gear, a contact 3 'bivl an insulathdfroin one arm and engagee with said contact pin, a lead connectin the contact of said arm with the secon drum, a second arm extending from said gear, a bolt carried. by said block and passing through the second arm of said collar, a spring upon I 7 said bolt engaging the last mentioned arm to yieldably hold the collar and arms in a set position with the contacts in engagement, and brushes engaging said drums.

In testimony atiixed our signatures.

- RALPH A.;WILLISON.

CLIFFORD N. ESBERG.

of the driven 8% i whereof we have hereunto w 

